This invention relates to a synchronizer and a controlling method used therein and, more particularly, to a synchronizer between a musical instrument and another kind of instrument and a method used therein.
Playing music is enjoyable by the player. However, all the players get a lot of fun through an ensemble. If another musical instrument is automatically performed in synchronism with a musical instrument, the player can get a lot of fun through the ensemble without another player. Moreover, a visual effect such as stage lighting enhances the musicality of a performance. However, if the stage lighting is improperly varied with the music passage, the performance may be damaged. The synchronization between the musical instrument and the lighting apparatus is required. In case where a performance is to be recorded, a recording system is used, and the synchronization is required for a smooth recording. If the recording system starts the recording after the initiation of a performance, a passage is lost in the performance stored in a recording medium. When a musical instrument plays an ensemble with a chorus already recorded, the playback is to be synchronous with the musical instrument. Thus, a musical instrument requires a synchronizer.
A human being may serve as the synchronizer in a concert. Professional players may synchronize with the conductor. However, beginners can not properly follow the conductor. An electronic musical instrument is equipped with an electronic synchronizer. The prior art electronic synchronizer assists the beginner in the training. While the trainee is playing a part of a tune on the electronic musical instrument, the electronic synchronizer reads a different part of the score from an information storage medium, and controls an electronic sound generator to generate a series of tones in the part. It is not easy for the beginner to exactly trace a score. The beginner is liable to be out of tune with the score. In this situation, the prior art electronic synchronizer controls the progression of the part assigned to the electronic sound generator, and makes the electronic sound generator synchronous with the fingering of the trainee.
In detail, the prior art electronic synchronizer is associated with an electronic keyboard musical instrument. A series of music data codes for the accompaniment is stored for the prior art electronic synchronizer, and a cue flag is stored in particular music data codes together with the note numbers to be generated, respectively. While a trainee is playing a tune, the prior art electronic synchronizer monitors his depressed keys, and compares the notes assigned to the depressed keys with the notes represented by the music data codes. The electronic keyboard musical instrument generates the tones for the accompaniment as well as the tones designated by the trainee. If the trainee depresses the key represented by the particular music data code marked with the cur flag, the prior art electronic synchronizer allows the electronic keyboard musical instrument to continue the accompaniment. However, if the trainee have not depressed the key represented by the particular music data code marked with the cue flag, yet, the prior art electronic synchronizer instructs the electronic keyboard musical instrument to wait for the key represented by the particular music data code. When the trainee depresses the key represented by the particular music data code, the prior art electronic synchronizer permits the electronic keyboard musical instrument to proceed to the next passage of the accompaniment. Thus, the prior art electronic synchronizer regulates the accompaniment with the fingering of the trainee.
The cue flag serves as a mark at which the accompaniment is to be synchronized with the fingering on the keyboard. In other words, the cue flag is used for the synchronization between the fingering and only one musical instrument. Any other instrument is not taken into account. For this reason, the prior art electronic synchronizer is not available for the synchronization between more than two parts.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a synchronizer, which synchronizes a kind of instrument with a musical instrument on the basis of pieces of music data.
It is also an important object of the present invention to provide a method used in the synchronizer.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a synchronizer for synchronizing a kind of instrument used for a purpose different from music with another kind of instrument used for producing a series of tones, and the synchronizer comprises a first data source storing a first piece of sequence data including pieces of synchronous data at intervals in a first data group and a second piece of sequence data including pieces of music data in a second data group and available for the another kind of instrument in order to produce another series of tones and synchronously outputting the first piece of sequence data and the second piece of sequence data, a second data source successively outputting pieces of reference data representative of an actual performance, a converter for converting the pieces of music data to instructions for tasks to be achieved by the kind of instrument, a first controller connected to the first data source, the second data source and the converter and comparing the pieces of synchronous data with certain pieces of reference data corresponding thereto for transferring the pieces of music data to the converter in synchronism with the certain pieces of reference data and a second controller connected to the converter and the kind of instrument, and driving the kind of instrument in response to the instructions.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for synchronizing a kind of instrument used for a purpose different from music with another kind of instrument used for producing a series of tones, and the method comprises the steps of a) preparing a first piece of sequence data including pieces of synchronous data and stored at intervals in a first data group and a second piece of sequence data including pieces of music data, stored in a second data group and available for the another kind of instrument in order to produce another series of tones, b) receiving one of pieces of reference data, c) comparing the one of pieces of reference data with one of the pieces of synchronous data to see whether or not the one of pieces of reference data arrives within a predetermined time period around a target time when the one of the pieces of synchronous data is to be processed, d) transferring associated one of the pieces of music data to a converter in synchronism with the one of the pieces of reference data for converting the associated one of the pieces of music data to instructions for the kind of instrument when the answer in the step c) is given affirmative, e) controlling the kind of instrument in accordance with the instructions and f) repeating the steps b), c), d) and e) for each of the remaining pieces of reference data.